El Cheapo

Back in 1996 we needed a cheap local mover to get our stuff out of the mini-storage warehouse to our first Florida house.  I don't remember how I found them but against my better judgement I called "El Cheapo" movers.  Cost was definitely a factor at that time and they were definitely the cheapest.  It was owned by a guy named Ward, a wiry young man with a nutty personality.  His wife Terri handled the office work.

I guess I wasn't disappointed because I called him again in 2000 to move us out of that house and into a temporary apartment and then again a year later to move us to our new house in Hollywood Oaks. He and Terri were divorced by then. Truth be told, I cringed each time I saw the "El Cheapo" trucks pull up to our new addresses.  What on earth would the neighbors think? Hahaha

I have been calling the major van lines to get estimates on moving us to The Villages. But as I perused the Yellow Pages I saw El Cheapo was still listed.  Why not? I thought.  Ward picked up on the first few rings and garbled something and I asked if I had reached El Cheapo.  He said it used to be but after 30 years of taking ribbing for being El Cheapo, he changed the name of the business.  Are you ready?  Wait for it! 

"A League of Extraordinary Movers"!

He's coming on Wednesday to give us an estimate.  What will the neighbors think?!?

;-)

Whew!

It's been one month since we returned from our first visit to The Villages and decided it was the place to spend our Golden Years. 

In the month since: we/I have made a second trip back, bought a new house, had the roof and driveway pressure washed, put new sod in the backyard and mulch everywhere, had the windows washed, sent Grandma's oriental rug out for cleaning. listed our current house and the beach condo for sale, thrown out 40+ hefty bags of stuff, cleaned out and organized the garage and every closet and cabinet, applied for a reverse mortgage to finance the new house and arranged for reverse mortgage counseling (required), scheduled an estimate from Mayflower for moving (I'm sentimental about Mayflower due to our days as truckers), had three house showings and a lot of beach condo showings, finally got my Prolia shot after oodles of calls between me, Blue Cross, Caremark and the doctor's office (why health care costs so much), had breakfast with my old staffers and boss, went to a christening, got a haircut and my nails done, celebrated birthdays and our anniversary and mourned my cousin's passing.  And that's not all!

I feel good about all of the above. I even went to the library and borrowed the 2006 DVD of "The Secret" that reinforces positive thinking and sending out affirming messages to the Universe.  I'm super excited about the future and I'm doing all I can to attract the good stuff that awaits!

;-)

Scrapbooking

 

from the Hollywood house scrapbook

I started a new scrapbook for the new (pre-owned) house in The Villages.  It will join the ones for our 1987 house in Long Grove and our 2001 house here in Hollywood.  Of course I won't have pictures of the house actually being built, but I'm substituting pictures from the sales literature and ones I lifted from the online virtual tour. When we move in I'll add the "after" shots.

I rarely do scrapbooking, preferring instead to toss magazine and newspaper clippings, greeting cards, pictures and ticket stubs into "keepsake boxes" in no particular organized fashion.  Someday I will go through them all.

You know I'm excited about something when I care enough to save pictures and mementos and preserve my memories for future sessions of "aww, remember this?"

;-) 

Cameron

Cameron is 7 today  Wow!

He sure hasn't had it very easy.  From the day he was born almost two months prematurely and weighing just 2 pounds 10 ounces, he's been a fighter.  He even had to hang on in the womb for dear life (literally hang on!)

Seeing pictures of Cam with tubes and such in the hospital broke my heart.  And even after Laura and Jason brought him home and I saw him in person, I was scared to hold him or even breathe on him.  I had never seen such a tiny little baby. 

But Cam fought on and today is a tall handsome lad with his Dad's infectious personality and his Mom's grace and sweetness.  He still doesn't have it very easy.  Being born prematurely has given him a few extra challenges.  But Cam tries hard and even though he has been dealt a tough hand, I am absolutely convinced he will excel in everything that's important in life.

We all spin Life's roulette wheel and get some good and some bad breaks.  But Cam definitely won the Parent Powerball because he couldn't have gotten more devoted, loving and nurturing parents than Laura and Jason.

No doubt about it, he's a very lucky fellow.

Happy Birthday Cameron!  Love you!

Conversation With My BFF

I broke the stained glass windows you made.  Not one but both.  I was trying to be so careful but I tripped even as I was telling myself to be careful.  They are so delicate now, how will I ever get them to The Villages??

You can fix them.  Go get that clear packing tape from the garage and tape up the backs.

OK. Will you keep me company?

Of course. See? It's working.

I'm not doing too good. 

You're doing fine. Use the scissors to push the tape around the solder lines.

OK. It's going better now.  I'm so sorry I broke them.

They're not broke, they just needed some TLC.

I should have been a better friend to you.  I miss you so much.

I'm here whenever you need me.  See, the windows are all better now.  I like that you put the big one next to the kaleidoscope I made for you and the perfume bottle I gave you. They will look great in your new home. Now go call Laura.  I love you.

Love you too.

Kyra

My BFF passed away less than three months before her first grandchild, Kyra, was born.  How she would have loved her five grandchildren and I think she just might have lavished special attention on Kyra, whose birthday is today.

Kyra is smart as a whip and I often think of her as an adult in a little body.  What 7 year old prefers a Japanese steakhouse over Chuck E. Cheese for her birthday dinner?  Watch what you say around Kyra, she understands what you're talking about!

When my BFF Sheryl passed away, Scott and Victoria (very pregnant) said they could not think of a middle name for Kyra that started with "S" that they liked.  They were going with Paige for her middle name. It is a Jewish custom to name a newborn after a departed loved one and I knew Sheryl would kvell in heaven if she had a namesake.  I lay up that night, running fashionable names that started with "S" through my mind - Savannah, Sierra, Serena, Shakira, Samantha, Summer, Skylar, Sophie etc. etc.  Not one grabbed me and I knew the kids would not like them either.
As I drifted off my thoughts turned to Sheryl and our vacation together in Arizona - she and Scott and us all together. How she loved Sedona and even thought their fabled vortex gave her a little more strength. She dared to dream of a retirement home amid the red rocks and sacred stones. It was one of the best times of our lives.

The next morning I cautiously made my suggestion to Scott and Victoria.  They loved it!
Happy Birthday Kyra Sedona!!

;-)

New House

We put an offer in on what will hopefully be our next home in The Villages.  It's not perfect but it's perfect for us I think.  I liked it as soon as I saw it on the internet and I liked it even more when I saw it for real. 

Buying a house is a lot like falling in love. You feel the attraction and you are not exactly sure why. 

I saw my prized possessions fitting in nicely. I saw myself cooking in the kitchen and soaking in the whirlpool tub under a window big enough for Sheryl's stained glass. I saw the pretty bushes surrounding the lanai and the welcoming big live oak tree that would greet me when I came home. I saw the well maintained peaceful neighborhood with its flagpoles and the signs telling you who lives in each house.  I saw the years ahead in my new home.

But most of all I saw all the other houses for sale that did not come close, hahaha.

;-) 

Craig's Lost Chicago

An old friend sent me a link to Craig's Lost Chicago and it didn't take long before my eyes filled up with tears.  Oh the memories!  A few things were missing - the Slick Chick (an original 50s diner) and the Town and Country (where we went after my high school graduation) and The Little Corporal (best Patty Melts ever!  My old boyfriend took me there after an AZA Invite dance) - but Craig (whoever he is) sure has amassed a wealth of Old Chicago memories.

The Pie Pan.  Lockwood Castle.  Kiddieland and Riverview.  The Cock Robin (just blogged about it on Father's Day). Buffalo's Ice Cream. Amy Joy Donuts.  Di Leos (I had a bridal shower there).  The Como Inn.  The Pickle Barrel (all the lox you could eat!) The Hawthorne Mellody Farm. Polk Brothers. Maurice Lenell Cookies. Venture and Z Frank and Kohl's Foods. The Golf Mill Theaters. Robert Hall, Mandel Brothers and the Crawford Department Stores. Shopper's World - where I got my very first paycheck!  Montgomery Ward and The Chicago Daily News and The Chicago American newspapers. 

So many memories!  Thank you Craig!

:-)

A Very Very Very Fine House

I've been working for the last few weeks getting our house ready to be listed for sale.  I've seen a lot of dust and junk and shmutz.  But today the videographer was here and the house looked about as perfect as possible.  I took a step back from critically assessing every square inch and tried to see it through his stranger's eyes. 

It dawned on me that my house is beautiful, and not just because it has really nice upscale features. It is beautiful because I have loved living here in this perfect neighborhood, in this tropical paradise, in this enclave of peace and safety for the past twelve plus years, longer than we have lived anywhere else.  I chose (or inherited) every piece of furniture and every picture on the wall and every piece of linen and every tchatchke and I made all but one of the window treatments myself. I love the layout of the house and the tranquil pool and hot tub and each and every room. I love the dark and welcoming library filled with books and the certificates and diplomas on the wall and the comfy chair for reading.

It reminded me of a poem (thanks again Dad), Heap O' Living by Edgar Guest.

Ye've got t' love each brick an' stone from cellar up t' dome: It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home.

I do hope the house sells quickly but I will always remember the heap of wonderful living I did here...

:-)

You're Not Pretty Enough

I guess the worst thing some women can hear is "you're not pretty enough".  I got this message when I read this article about a woman who (severely traumatized) went on a mission to boost female egos after her spouse flung those four horrible words at her. Trust me, hearing those words - spoken in anger by a cheating husband - are far, far from the worst things one can hear and definitely are not worthy of a second thought. 

This is what I believe: happiness and a fulfilling life await most women.  If this joyful state somehow eludes them, their looks have nothing to do with it.  I have seen homely women snag prize husbands who adore them and beautiful women who have known nothing but heartache. Self-confident women enjoy greater successes with time while some super-attractive women suffer when their beauty fades with age. 

Still not convinced? With the miracles of diet (or even bariatric surgery), make-up (or even cosmetic surgery) and some cute outfits and a decent hairdresser, almost every woman can enhance her looks to the point of being "pretty enough" for anything.

Want to cut me to the core?  Tell me I'm not smart enough!

Meanwhile I'll continue to strut my "pretty enough" stuff all the way to old age!

;-)